Lugol's iodine

Lugol's iodine is an aqueous solution of elemental iodine and potassium iodide. It is used as a disinfectant, an iodine supplement, and a reagent that turns starch-containing materials blue-black.

Iodine–starch test: A chemical test in which iodine produces a blue-black color in the presence of starch. Lugol's iodine supplies the iodine reagent that reveals starch.
Iodine deficiency: A lack of iodine that can impair thyroid hormone production and cause thyroid enlargement. Lugol's iodine has been used as an iodine source, though supplementation requires appropriate dosing.
Jean Guillaume Auguste Lugol: A French physician known for introducing an iodine and potassium iodide solution in the nineteenth century. His name became attached to the solution he developed and advocated.
Povidone-iodine: An antiseptic complex of iodine with the polymer povidone that releases iodine gradually. It is a widely used iodine antiseptic with a different formulation and release profile.
Polyiodide: An ion or compound containing chains of iodine atoms, such as triiodide. Potassium iodide helps dissolve iodine by forming triiodide and related species in water.
Potassium iodide: An inorganic salt that provides iodide ions and is used in medicine and chemical preparations. It is a component of Lugol's iodine and supports iodine's dissolution in water.
Goiter: An abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland, often associated with iodine deficiency or thyroid disease. Lugol promoted iodine treatment for goiter, an early medical use of the solution.
Tincture of iodine: An iodine antiseptic solution formulated with alcohol and often iodide salts. Unlike aqueous Lugol's iodine, tincture of iodine contains alcohol.
Amylose: A mostly linear polymer of glucose that forms a helical structure in starch granules. Polyiodide ions fit inside amylose helices, producing the test's characteristic dark color.
Thyroid gland: An endocrine gland that uses iodine to produce the hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine. Iodine supplementation can affect thyroid function, making medical use dose-sensitive.

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